An Exercise, Come to Fruition
by aeotae
Summary: A continuation of An Exercise in Futility. Gray and Loke continue to dance around Lucy, albeit a bit more inappropriately. Lucy decides that she is not a ping pong ball and seeks alternate arrangements. Gray/Lucy/Loke
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or ideas from Fairy Tail, nor do I make any money from this work.

**An Exercise, Come to Fruition**

_Part One of Four (Probably)_

From then on, Gray's life began to take a turn for the salacious. He can't even begin to imagine what it feels like for Lucy, who's caught up in the middle of what seems like a constant barrage of scandalous sex.

He feels like he's playing a game of tag only the object is to get as much touch as possible rather than to avoid it. Every time he sees Lucy tucking the Key of the Lion back into her pouch, he feels the need to molest her. He pulls her into closets at the guild and behind trees on their missions. He sneaks into the woman's baths at hot springs because he knows that Loke will be waiting for her outside of them.

He's started measuring his moods by the stage of his arousal, and, teenage boy or not, he's starting to feel exhausted. Lucy's breasts aren't getting any less incredibly sexy, but he's seriously afraid he's going to start chaffing, which would be really embarrassing (especially given his suspicion that Loke has been continuing to sneak peeks at every opportunity).

Plus, even _Natsu_ is starting to ask him questions about all the little bruises on Lucy's neck, and, while Gray doesn't exactly know how the dragon slayer will react to the sudden simultaneous discovery of both sex and Lucy's involvement with it, he's pretty sure he's not going to want to be in the fallout zone.

Loke, of course, looked thoroughly unperturbed. If anything, tag teaming to overindulge the sexual needs of one woman was a break for him, which hardly helped Gray feel better about his masculinity.

He wondered if Lucy would just think he was being kinky if he used nothing but his ice magic to bring her off. Would Loke be jealous that his magic wouldn't let him do that, or would the lion spirit take the opportunity to flaunt his superior stamina?

It was all because of that stupid lion and his stupid voyeurism, too. If it had been up to Gray, the two would have just danced around Lucy independently, never looking at the other no matter how often they freely advertised their presence. But Loke had looked.

"_Well, I thought your moans meant you were in need of your prince, my master, but it looks as though you've found another to help fulfill my duty. Am I no longer needed, princess?" Gray knew that even as Loke asked that question the lion was really only waiting for Lucy's protests. Considering that he's sated, sweaty, and in no hurry to move from his resting place between her legs and chest, he really didn't want Lucy to start needlessly inflating her spirit's ego._

_ "Oi, dumbass," Gray tried to sound as cool and collected as he could, "did you hear her call you?" _

_ Unfortunately, this was Loke, and Loke had cool and collected perfected as much as Gray (and had the additional advantage of being fully clothed). "Ah, but my master and I have a love that transcends the bounds of celestial mage and spirit-she has no need to call to me for me to know she wants me there."_

_ Gray had barely been able to sort out that insinuation in all of that before Loke was striding across the room. Before he could think of an adequate response, the spirit was kneeling beside the bed, running his fingers through Lucy's hair like she didn't have another naked male on top of her. _

_ "Are you alright, my love?" he'd cooed into her ear, "is there anything I can do for you?" _

_ Lucy's mouth had opened, but it was hardly the kind of time for her to be able to form actual words. _

_ "Don't worry, princess, I'll take care of you," he says, and then he's pushing Gray to the aside and taking his place between her legs. Gray is far too shocked to do anything, and he's a little disarmed by the wink shot at him from overtop of Loke's blue sunglasses. It's the kind of wink that makes even Gray realize that he's naked. He looks at Lucy, wanting her to do something to sort this whole mess out, but Loke, ever the smooth bastard, is already gently stroking her already sensitive folds and sliding a long index finger inside of her. She might be a girl, but Gray knows he's already made her cum at least twice in the last hour, and she is hardly able to lift her head to meet Gray's eyes, let alone string together a coherent sentence. If she could, it doesn't look like she'd use it to get Loke to stop anyway. _

_ It's bizarre, but he wants to hold her hand while Loke makes her writhe. He does. Her fingers squeeze around his as she experiences shot after shot of pleasure. When he looks down, he sees that Loke has added another finger and is using his thumb to rub slowly around her clit. He hasn't even taken his clothes off, but Gray has never seen anyone that looks more like a perfect picture of debauchery in his life._

_ "You should probably kiss her, Gray," he laughs and his angelic smile is disorienting. "See, Lucy? I always make sure my princess is taken care of."_

_ Gray's not sure she sees, but she moans into his kiss regardless._

_ Loke continues his work and Gray is fascinated by how dexterous his fingers seem to be. Every now and then he twists them just so, making his magical ring brush gently against Lucy's most sensitive areas. Gray had thought himself quite clever, having been able to make Lucy moan so much before, but, now, with Loke working his magic with so little effort, he feels more than a little inadequate. Of course, that's hardly going to stop him from trying harder next time. _

_ When she hit her peak, Lucy moaned Loke's name but squeezed Gray's hand. Before they could discuss the subject, she promptly passed out, leaving the two boys to sort things out._

After, while Lucy had lain between them, breathing gently in a deep sleep and looking devastatingly beautiful in the moonlight, they had come to several conclusions: 1.) Both Loke and Gray were getting under Lucy's skirt. 2.) Lucy seemed to really like it. 3.) Loke and Gray should probably turn this into an even better competition.

So, it had begun. Gray no longer felt as though he was competing for Lucy, which made him feel a lot less like a chauvinistic ass. On the other hand, he knew that he was now competing solely for the purpose of appeasing his male pride, which kind of just made him feel like an ass all over again. Not like that stopped him or anything.

Then again, there was still that number four, the one where both Gray and Loke got more than a little thrilled when it came to competing with each other, but they were both too polite to mention it.

* * *

"This is stupid," Lucy declared, "they're just always there! First one, then the other! How am I supposed to sleep?"

"Aww," crooned Cana, "to think our little Lucy was just a little girl who'd never had a boyfriend just a few months ago!"

"I think it's sweet," exclaimed Mira, "you're so lucky to have two such attractive men at your beck and call!"

Lucy wanted to argue that she barely had to bother calling either of them anymore; they just showed up in shifts, like they were stuck in a revolving door. She'd had to take refuge in the center of the guild and lure Erza over with strawberry cake just to dissuade Gray from coming over.

"If you want me to maim either one of them, I'd be happy to help you," mumbled Erza around a mouthful of cake.

"No, thank you, Erza," Lucy was sure to say as politely as possible. While she appreciated Erza's availability as a deterrent, she couldn't help but picture the wake of destruction that would result from her being hired as a tool of feminine fury.

"If you change your mind, don't hesitate to ask. I don't want you to feel like you have to put up with them if they are putting you in a position that you feel is uncomfortable," Erza admonished.

A part of her was truly touched that her friend showed so much concern for her well being, but the larger part of her was just unable to repress the memories of the slightly uncomfortable positions they'd both put her in last night.

She didn't think that was something she wanted to discuss with Erza.

Mirajane laid her hand on Lucy's shoulder, distracting Lucy from that particular reminiscence. "You know, Lucy, if you really need a break, why don't you consider taking a job somewhere? Leave Gray and Loke's key at home. I think Natsu and Happy have been missing you lately," Mirajane suggested sweetly.

The thought had merit. Natsu was her partner after all; he was more than able to help her if she needed it, and, even if she couldn't open the Gate of the Lion, Lucy had plenty of other spirits to call on. She smiled. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. It was the perfect excuse, and neither of her boyfriends would be able to find fault with it.

Still, she decided, she'd better just go ahead and find Natsu and Happy before either Gray or Loke found out.

* * *

_Author's Note: So, a sequel. This may get complicated. I usually don't like posting before I've at least written a draft of the entire story, but I was getting a bit frustrated with this and didn't want to just toss it in my "will write eventually" folder. It's a thing now, so I can't do that. I hope you like it! Thank you, to all of my lovely reviewers (especially those who called for more!). _


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or ideas from Fairy Tail, nor do I make any money from this work.

**An Exercise, Come to Fruition**

_Part Two of Four (Probably)_

Loke had once taken on a job involving the protection of an elite modeling agency. He had been charged with the protection of two dozen of Fiore's most attractive women. It was meant to have lasted two weeks, but, after only three days, the managers sent him back to Fairy Tail with an angry letter at his heels. They decided that they'd rather face the local thugs than deal with all the destructive catfights that had broken out over who got to spend time with him next. The experience had left him feeling particularly smug, and he distinctly remembered gloating about it to Gray (on multiple occasions).

Gray had promised that he'd eventually get him back for flaunting his conquests so openly, and Loke was pretty sure that karma had stepped in for the ice mage because Loke was fairly certain Gray was going to make a permanent ice sculpture of the moment when Loke admitted that he couldn't keep up their back-and-forth with Lucy anymore.

Maintaining a deep and meaningful relationship expressed through the medium of physical gratification proved to be a lot more time consuming that his usual strategy for sex-wining, dining, and finding a suitable surface.

Even pouring his heart and soul into the matter hadn't seemed to get him very far. He picked out perfect roses with a genuine desire to find which would best complement Lucy's eyes, spent most of his time thinking up ways to make her happy, and had even accepted being in a three-way relationship with another man in order to spare her the trouble of choosing between them, but every time he watched Gray make love to Lucy, he felt like he was just still a boy playing at love.

_ With Gray, Lucy's eyes had been open and wide. Even as the ice mage performed various sinful actions on her body, she somehow managed to look sweet and innocent. The little gasps she made sounded as surprised as they did pleased. Gray whispered against her skin and into her ear. Loke couldn't hear his words, but they made Lucy's face soften with a gentle smile. _

_ Loke could stain her face with a hundred different shades of a blush, but he couldn't recall a single time he'd made her smile like that. He brought roses to stroke against her skin, swept her literally off of her feet and worshipped her with his lips, but her eyes had never crinkled at the corners like they did when Gray spoke five or six syllables against her neck or wrist. _

_Was it the deep voice? Loke had to admit that Gray really had something going for him with that. Combined with his habit of staring at you with a penetrating gaze from beneath his fringe of ebony hair, Gray's voice tended to cement his dark and mysterious appeal. It was the kind of thing even an expert like Loke couldn't learn. _

_Gray probably wasn't even trying that hard, but, judging by the way Lucy was breathing, she'd fallen prey to the accidental allure._

_As Loke watched, Grey effortlessly pinned both of Lucy's wrists in one hand and twisted her around so that she was pushed chest first against a wall. With the other hand, Gray stroked her side, leaving shivers in his wake. He'd buried his head into Lucy's neck, and the quality of Lucy's moans told Loke that Gray wasn't just using his mouth to whisper anymore. _

_Loke was a little distracted by the way strands of Lucy's bright blonde hair caught in Gray's dark locks. The contrast looked like lines of stars on the night sky. _

_Distracted as he was, Loke didn't miss the deft maneuvering of Gray's other hand that left Lucy with her panties around her thighs and her skirt bunched up around her back. She made a very inviting picture. Loke's style wasn't usually quite so raw, but he had to admit that Gray's approach was affecting him in unexpected ways._

It took him a long time to summon his courage, but, eventually, Loke managed to do it. By the time he felt Gray's presence near Lucy's keys, he felt ready to call for a ceasefire. He composed himself and opened up his own gate, fully prepared to see a flustered Lucy in Gray's icy embrace. He was half hoping that he'd catch the ice mage using his magic instead of his body to stimulate Lucy; then, at least, he could claim that Gray was cheating.

The view that greeted him was not so pleasant as he might have wished. Rather than a straining Gray, there was a panicked Gray. Rather than the scent of sex and victory, there was the scent of fear and despondency. Most importantly, rather than a flushed Lucy, there was no Lucy at all.

Loke turned around, trying to figure out from where he had entered the human world. His key was not jangling merrily on Lucy's hip, or even cuddled closely in her discarded clothing. It was not splayed across a table along with all of Lucy's other keys. Instead, it was clutched in Gray's hand so tightly that the ice mage's knuckles had gone white. Loke was fairly certain that there was frost creeping up the golden sides. He felt a chill. He was about to protest, but then Gray looked up. Loke shivered.

The last time he had seen Gray, the ice mage had been buried in Lucy and his eyes had been closed in pleasure. This time, he stood alone in the middle of Lucy's empty room and his eyes were as hard as diamonds. He'd gone from strangely alluring to painfully frightening while Loke had taken a catnap in the Spirit World.

Loke had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Lucy felt like skipping merrily along her way. She had managed to find a high-paying job two towns away from Magnolia, and, out of the goodness of her selfless heart, she had conceded to Natsu's pleas to walk in lieu of taking the train. As long as she kept them at their current pace, slyly mentioned a great spot for fishing, and somehow reigned in Natsu's destructive capabilities, she was looking at a good long week of peace followed by the look on her landlady's face when she managed to pay her rent before it was due. Life was good.

Except, she maybe felt just a little guilty. She hadn't exactly left Magnolia in the most admirable way. She'd essentially snuck out like a thief in the night. She'd been so frazzled and afraid of running into Gray that she hadn't even folded her clothes before packing them. When she'd detached Loke's key from her ring, her hands had shaken so badly that she thought Aquarius was going to demand punishment. As soon as she'd arrived at Natsu's house, she'd breathed a sigh of relief.

Still, she reasoned, she was more of a victim fleeing injustice than a criminal dodging the law. She was hardly naïve of the competition that fueled Loke and Gray's recent spate of satyriasis, and she didn't exactly appreciate being treated like a ping-pong ball (even if Mirajane seemed to think it was sweet).

She didn't always want to be having sex even if was with two of the hottest guys she has ever seen, she doesn't like feeling guilty all the time because she's caused yet another rivalry to form in the hallowed halls of Fairy Tail, she wants to go on a date sometimes that doesn't end in orgasms, she misses the days where Gray was all super sweet and protective, she doesn't want to even contemplate how much of that was just fueled by rivalry, and she's pretty sure-

"Lucy," Happy interrupts, "your face looks uglier than usual."

She's pretty sure she doesn't want to be thinking about this anymore anyway.

While she's been internally ranting and turning various unpleasant shades of purple and red, Happy has perched on top of her head and Natsu has found the perfect place to camp for the evening. Her neck is starting to hurt, and she's pretty sure that Natsu's definition of perfect is going to involve some sort of ample fish supply rather than a cushiony bit of forest floor, but at least no one is wagering her cleavage in a bizarre show of machismo.

She's so happy that she only throws Happy half as far as she could.

* * *

_Author's Note: Well, the good news is that I think I finally know where I'm going with this (other than to complicated sex). The bad news is that it's still taking me awhile to get there. I apologize for the excessively short chapter and snail-like pace. Please review! _


End file.
